The present invention relates to a method of supporting a TV (television) viewer for TV program selection and, more particularly, to a method suitable for a viewer to select a desired program among many programs progressively increasing with the increase of TV broadcasting channels caused by the development of digital TV broadcasting techniques, and a system for carrying out the method.
Methods by which TV viewers select TV programs are classified roughly into three groups.
Method 1) This method enables a viewer to obtain information about programs from TV program lists and program information provided in newspapers and magazines or program information heard from other persons, to select a desired program with reference to the information, to set a TV set for broadcasting date and time when the selected program is to be broadcast and a channel through which the selected program is to be broadcast, and to view the selected program. This method is used also to view a desired program by presetting the desired program for recording by a TV or by presetting the desired program for recording by a video recorder.
Method 2) This method enables a viewer to change the channels of a TV set so that programs being broadcast are displayed one after another to enable the viewer to search for a desired program.
Method 3) A broadcasting system using a communication satellite broadcasts an electronic program guide called an EPG. A program list can be viewed on the screen of a TV set through a device having an electronic program guide receiving function. This method enables a viewer to select a desired program by specifying a program name displayed on the screen of the TV set without specifying a channel through which the program of the specified program is broadcast. Techniques relating to this method is mentioned in “Eizou Media Gakkai-shi”, Vol. 51, No. 9, pp. 1364(30)–1369(35) (1997). Electronic program guide is able to display only viewer's favorite channels or programs classified by genre.
If digital TV broadcasting becomes prevalent and programs are broadcast through more than one hundred channels, the number of programs which can be viewed by viewers increases. Consequently, the amount of program information provided in newspapers and magazines becomes enormous, and booklets containing program lists and program information will become considerably thick. Under such circumstances, it is very difficult for the viewers to select only necessary information from program information provided in the conventional newspapers and magazines. When selecting a desired program by the method which enables a viewer to change the channels of a TV set so that programs being broadcast are displayed one after another to enable the viewer to search for a desired program, the viewer memorizes the contents of a plurality of desired programs, compares the contents and selects one of the desired programs. It is known that human beings are able to memorize about seven pieces of information for a short period of time. Therefore, it is very difficult for a viewer to memorize the contents of successively viewed programs when the channels increases.
The method 3) using EPG is able to solve the problem of the thick booklet but the same cannot solve problem of difficulty in selecting a desired program from many programs. Even if the number of channels is as small as ten channels or below through which ground waves can be received by TV sets, many people have regretful experiences of having failed to notice program lists, of obtaining information about programs after programs have been broadcast, of failing in viewing programs and of forgetting recording programs.